CAF announces six legends to attend the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations draw

Egyptian goalkeeping legend Essam El Hadary (center) during his time as goalkeeping coach with the Syria national team. Photo Credit: Syrian Football Association

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that six legendary players will be attending the draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The list of legends includes Essam El Hadary from Egypt, Patrick Mboma from Cameroon, Gervinho from Côte d’Ivoire, Mohamed Sissoko from Mali, Aymen Mathlouthi from Tunisia, and Christopher Katongo from Zambia.

The draw is set to take place on Monday, January 27, at 6:00 PM GMT (7:00 PM local time in Morocco) at the Mohammed V National Theatre in Rabat.

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.

Below are the achievements of the six legends in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON):

Essam El Hadary (Egypt)

- Won the AFCON with Egypt in 1998, 2006, 2008, and 2010.

- He is the oldest player at a FIFA World Cup, aged 45 years and 161 days when he competed for Egypt at the finals in Russia.

- El Hadary is also the oldest player to save a penalty in the world cup.

Patrick Mboma (Cameroon)

- Won the AFCON in 2000, scoring in both the semi-final and final.

- Won the AFCON again in 2002.

- Scored 11 goals across four AFCON tournaments.

- Mboma also won Olympic gold with Cameroon in Sydney in 2000 and competed at two World Cup finals.

Gervinho (Ivory Coast)

- Won the AFCON in 2015 with Côte d’Ivoire.

- Finished as runner-up in the 2012 AFCON.

- Competed in five AFCON tournaments from 2008 to 2015.

- He played the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and scored twice at the 2014 finals in Brazil.

Christopher Katongo (Zambia)

- Captained Zambia to their first-ever AFCON title in 2012.

- Named Player of the Tournament at the 2012 AFCON.

- Scored in four consecutive AFCON tournaments from 2006 to 2012.

Momo Sissoko (Mali)

- Represented Mali in 2004, 2008, 2010, and 2013 AFCON tournaments.

- Helped Mali secure third place in the 2013 AFCON.

- Scored in the opening match of the 2004 tournament against Kenya.

Aymen Mathlouthi (Tunisia)

- Played as goalkeeper in four AFCON tournaments: 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2017.

- Was also part of Tunisia's squads in 2008 and 2013.

- Mathlouthi also played at the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.

- He also achieved the 2011 African Nations Championship in Sudan.